A historical and political sociological account of the dynamic status of Konkani language in pre-liberation Goa, India

Abstract

Multilingualism in India has occupied the imagination of social scientists. Indian multilingualism is so proverbial that people often wonder how communication takes place. Continually emerging new powerful languages challenge the existing socio political order. As society and polity changes, the socio political status of a given language also change. The sociopolitical status of a language is not static it is liable to change as society and polity changes. This paper considers the dynamic relationship between Konkani language and society in Goa. Based on literature review and personal interviews with a number of language protagonists, this paper attempts to document the dynamic status of Konkani in pre Liberation Goa.